Malicious Compliance Chapter Three

If Edward thought for one minute he could walk away from her a second time, he was sorely mistaken. Forcing herself to stand on shaky legs, she left the coffee shop and followed him down the sidewalk. A few women turned to stare when he passed, undoubtedly noticing a tall man with strong shoulders and his head held high. The nearly full body of artwork was an attention getter, his choice of chunky silver chains resting on a tight black t-shirt catching the light. Bella had once been privileged enough to know what was underneath his tough exterior, but that was a long time ago.

He stepped into a shop, and she picked up her pace, catching the door right before it closed. They sold the sorts of things he wore, but she didn't have time to peruse the racks. Standing a few feet away from him, she watched as he picked up a handful of tees from a display table and took them to the dressing room. With a millisecond to spare, she slapped her hand on the doorframe, catching the latch on the back of her hand.

"Ow!" she hissed, shaking off the sharp pinch.

Edward turned to face her. "What the fuck, Bella."

"You keep walking away from me," she muttered, squeezing in and closing the door behind her.

"Don't you think there's a reason for that?" He threw the shirts onto the bench.

Instead of answering, Bella peeled off her shirt. Her bra went next, then she shimmied out of the miniscule skirt. All the while, Edward stood in front of the mirror, his arms crossed over his chest.

Trailing her fingernails over the detailed lines of a scarred heart with blood pouring from the aorta, she leaned in to press against him. In her heels—and nothing else—she was nearly his height. Looking up at him from under her lashes, she took his hand and guided it between her legs, spotting the flash of heat in his eyes. With her fingers aligned with his, she pressed the middle one into her pussy and felt the responding growth behind his zipper.

Her tongue darted out, moistening her upper lip. Since he hadn't resisted, she brought his other hand around to cup her bare ass. She kissed his chin, the only place she could reach, and fucked his hand with a roll of her hips and a flex of her knuckles. Their joined fingers delved into her heat, magnifying the astonishingly

loud sound of her juices sucking him in. When he curled the fingers of his opposite hand around her ass cheek, she felt a surge of triumph run through her. Tugging the hair at his nape, she brought their mouths together, whimpering when she felt his finger pressing—dipping, exploring—into the rim of her ass.

Bella cried out into his mouth as her release neared. Finally, she would feel even the slightest bit of the pleasure she'd been missing out on. There was a fear he'd stop again, that he'd push her away and leave her high and dry. But his mouth moved over hers, biting her lip and drawing away, the sting bringing her closer to coming. His tongue delved deeper, curling and stroking against her own. He tasted of the coffee he'd had, of darkness and untold sins.

Just before she snapped, he hoisted her up, her heels clacking against the wall as he slid his fingers inside her, one hand on each ass cheek, and sucked her nipple into his mouth. She had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out, had to blink back tears as the overwhelming sensations threw her over the edge. Her thighs trembled with the effort, her hands slapping the mirror. The sound of his zipper sent her heart racing faster than it already was, the way he shifted her and practically dropped her on his cock had her choking on a scream.

"Is this what you wanted, Isabella?"

His words were broken up by the relentless pace he set, her body singing and her pussy weeping for his cock. The way he dug into her flesh like he owned her made her want to mark him in turn. Sinking her teeth into his neck, she thrilled at the animalistic grunt he let loose. He fucked her harder, lifting and lowering her body to plunge as fast and deep as his thick cock could go.

The two of them bumped into the mirrored wall repeatedly, but Bella was too far gone to care if anyone could hear them. She'd finally, finally gotten what she wanted.

oOo

Edward knew Bella would follow him, knew she'd be relentless in her pursuit of his dick. It was her nature, and one of the things he'd loved about her once upon a time. Bella wasn't terribly stealthy, and maybe he wanted to see how far she'd go. They were no strangers to public sex, but it had been a few years since they'd endulged.

Her nakedness wasn't enough to entice him into throwing his determination out the window. No, it was the way she took charge, joining their hands to play with her cunt. Meeting his gaze directly, bold and positive in herself, that was enough to kill him.

She was wet; either still or again, he didn't know. He wanted to make her come, wanted to see her fall apart. Because of him. Because of his touch, his fingers, his cock. He needed to feel her squeezing him, for her velvet warmth to close like a fist over his shaft. Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore, and lifted her up to fulfill both their wishes.

"You wanted to come all over this cock, didn't you?"

She was too far gone to respond, but that was fine with him.

"You've been begging for it."

Dropping her head back, she moaned long and loud. They'd gone from keeping quiet to not giving a fuck who heard.

"Now you're gonna take it all," he said.

He felt her tense, felt the way her body shuddered and her pussy clenched around his cock. He slammed home one last time, holding her in a bruising grip as he emptied himself inside her.

For a long moment, they clung to each other. Sweat beaded, slowly trickling down his back. Inhaling, he stored the scent of Bella's hair in his memory. It was different, but not terribly so, from what he recalled.

"Where do you live?" she mumbled into his shirt.

"Same place."

She squirmed for a second, and he let her down. When she bent to retrieve her clothes, he was treated to a delicious view of her round ass.

"You never moved?"

He pictured the loft he lived in, with the huge windows overlooking a motorcycle garage and the natural light they let in. "Why would I?"

Shrugging into her shirt, she met his gaze with a soft smile. "No reason."

"Same bed, too, princess. You thinking of revisiting it?"

"If you'd let me."

Edward had already tucked himself back into his jeans, so when Bella was fully dressed, he opened the door. Several people were nearby, including one woman who's entire face was flushed red. He winked at her, and her jaw dropped.

Without second guessing himself, he wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders as they walked out. "I shouldn't let you."

"You're right."

His brows went up. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Oh, I heard. I'm just not used to what it feels like to be right."

She elbowed him, and he grunted.

"You haven't changed, Bella, not that I can see."

"Neither have you."

That's where you're wrong. "But you pursued me. Either you want me the way I am, or you want Richie Rich."

She only hummed in response.

"That's what I thought. So there's no reason to invite you over." No reason to fuck her over and over again, only to take a break and start once more. No reason to eat her pussy until she screamed, or to slide his cock down her throat until she gagged.

Just because it would bring excruciating mutual pleasure didn't mean he had to sacrifice himself on her altar a second time.

"We could be fuck buddies."

"The three of us? You, me, and Austin?"

That had her growling low in her throat. "We don't have anything serious going on."

"He merely finances the lifestyle you always wanted and couldn't attain with me."

oOo

Edward had the right to be furious with her, but fuck if that didn't hurt. "Maybe he does. What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" He stopped walking, yanking on her arm until she stood beside him. "You're asking me to warm your bed when there's someone already in it."

"He probably wouldn't care," she mumbled.

Of course he'd care. Maybe they weren't destined to walk down the aisle or anything, but they had a mutual understanding. Austin spoiled her, and she was available at his beck and call. The only thing that could get in the way of that was her job.

"As a man, I'm offended for him." Edward walked off, and Bella started after him. "Go home to your boyfriend and ask for forgiveness you don't deserve."

A fresh set of tears burned the backs of her eyes as he left her standing alone on the sidewalk. What the fuck had she been thinking to ever let Edward go?

Admitting she was wrong to treat him the way she had wouldn't be enough. Not for a guy like Edward, who had an innate pride in himself. Growing up, Bella had never felt that way, never had anyone tell her she was worthy simply because she existed. It was too hard to reconcile her upbringing with a man like Edward. Austin may have showered her with enough gifts to make her feel like a princess, but Edward had treated her as such daily. When she was his, and he was hers, she actually had it all. She just didn't realize it at the time.

And she'd pushed him away with her ugly insecurities, heaping them on top of him until he broke. She couldn't forgive herself, so there was no reason to expect him to absolve her of all that guilt. That was why she couldn't allow herself to find anything serious with another man. There'd never been a time when she was able to picture herself with anyone but Edward long-term. With that dream gone, she'd had to create a new one, but it was still a work in progress.

When she let herself in the front door, her apartment felt lonely. Austin had decided to go out of town to finalize the deal he and Eric were working on, leaving her to stew for the weekend. On a whim, she took her dream board out of the closet, digging through clothes and shoes until she found it tucked in the very back. It used to drive her, bringing her inspiration. Perhaps it could again. She'd tacked up pictures of cakes and intricate desserts, possible building locations and storefront displays.

The rattle of her doorknob had her jerking in shock. The bulletin board hit the ground with a soft thud, and her heart raced after it. Raising her head, she saw Edward standing on the threshold.

"Just for the record, I hate you."

Who the fuck cared about that? "I know."

In two strides, he was in front of her, threading his fingers in her thick hair and tugging until her head tilted back and she was forced to look at him.

"Fucking your brains right out of your skull doesn't constitute a relationship."

She licked her dry lips. "Okay."

"I'm not taking you out to dinner. I'm not buying you jack crap." He tugged harder, and she felt the rush of her arousal between her pantiless thighs. "Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

And when he smashed his mouth to hers, she tasted victory.